684 STERNA IIIRUNDO, COMMON Ti:RN. 



Is flattened and Huhoval; its distal extremity a little (Oongaliil, ho as to Rlvri it Hotnn- 

 wbat of a cordiform contour. It is evidently not very powerful, its niuwIiH Iicuik 

 hardly a tenth of an inch thick. 'J'lie tendinous portion of its pitrintcH ih of HUiiill ex- 

 tent. Its cuticular lining is dense and iirni, iind tlirown np into Hoinewliiit in(!(;ul«r 

 hut chiefly longitudinal folds. CorrcHpondinf; (tlitviitions iirjil drprcHHioiiH ure lonnd on 

 the inner surface of the i)ropcr p;iri(^tiH of tin-organ. 'I'lMire are no pyloric valves, hut 

 only corrugations of the cuticnlar lining at this orilice. 



The intestinal canal is very short, measuring only lidwei-n l,u<dv(! and tliirtcen 

 inches between the pylorus and anus. 'I'lic duodcniil fold is about omo and a half 

 inches in length. The ijuncreas stretches the whole li^ngtli of tho coneavify betwei'n 

 the two folds, and ap[)i;ars as if doubh;, thi-.ic, being an elongated, narrow, ilaXtcnr'd 

 mass of the glarulular substance on each side of the fold. After forming this fold the 

 intestines become convoluted and coiled upotj each ot lier to within tliroe, or four inches 

 of the ccftoa. There anolber regular looii or fold of the infestinc! occurs, nearly as 

 large and perfect as the duodenal one itself, iigamst which it is oppoN<td for Jiearly its 

 whol(! extent, and connected by relleetions of t,lie uicHcntcry. 



There are two Cffica eoK, situate about oiuj iuid a half inclies from the anus. Tlii'y 

 differ greatly from those of Lml.riduKi: and Lor'niw in their extreme brevity. 'J'liey 

 measure only about two-tenths of an inch in total length, and are so closely appliitd 

 and bonnd down to the colon that they might readily lie overlooked. 



The "large" intestine is excerdingly short, straight, and scarcely, if at all, larger 

 than tho small intestine. It preserves a pretty uniform width to near the anus, where 

 it suddenly expands into a capacious globular cloaca. Tho cloaca is eojiipletely 

 divided into two parts — a larger anterior and internal portion, and a smaller [lohlerior 

 and external. Tho latler is a slight pcjueh, or vul-de-ma, partially separatctd from the 

 former by a projecting transverse reduplication (jf the lining membrane, ./list above 

 the edge of this fold, at the extremity of the inner compartment of the eloar^a, there is 

 on each side of the median lino a small oval depreshion, surroundi'd by a curriigated, 

 ephincter-liko elevation of mucous membrane, in whicli the efferent ducts of the 

 urinary and seminal organs terminate. 



The kidneys are quite peculiar in shape. Tho entire renal mass is nearly as long as 

 broad, and in shape almost jierfectly rfectangnlar. The njiper lolies have but a slight 

 convexity of contour, and are but little larger than the lower. lOaeh kidney is divided 

 into from four to six irregularly reclangnlar or polyhedral niaKses, These lobes are 

 more or less completely separated from each other, but are closely coaptutr-d, the sides 

 and angles of each mass being adapted to those of the maHses whicli lie about, it. 

 The ureters, formed by the union of the efferent, ducts from each one of these ina'sett, 

 run along nearly parallel to each other on each side of the median line of the spine, nt 

 .a little distance from it, converging somewhat toward their termination to open in tho 

 cloaca, as already described. 



The testes lie immediately superimposed ufion the superior lobes of the kidneys. 

 Their size varies greatly with ;'ge and season. The vas defen^ns runs backward in 

 close relation to the ureters, to terminate in the above-mentioned depreKsions on each 

 side of the cloaca. 



Th(! other organs of this species do not diiler snflieiently from those of Larun to re- 

 quire special mention. 



Jjihliography. — This is one of the "anti(|ne" Hpeeies, though its synonyms are com- 

 paratively few. A chief point that arises is, whether the uiime '' hirumU)" belongs here 

 or to tho Arctic Tern (macrura, Naum.;. 'J'he name has been with much re.ason re- 

 ferred to the latter, where it probably lielongs; but it scarcely Kei.ms neceshary to 

 make the change in this instance. The earlier diagnoses may apply to either, and, in 

 fact, probably included both, for it will be rememberi:d that the two were not gen- 

 erally distinguished until about 1H20. LinnaMis' Mrundo may as well be kept for this 

 species, with which it is commonly associati^d in ornithological record. //iru.ri(Jo iif 

 Briinnich, Faber, and J'';il)ricins, is apparently mai?rura; liirimd/i of l(ieh:ird«on mfHrn- 

 teri. Brisson called the bird filerna mujor, a name of cours<! to be dihrej/iirded in binom- 

 inal nomenclature. Kyton has it S. rnurina, after a pre-Lin;iaan writer. " H'ilHOni, 

 Bi'.," and " fluvial. Hi n, Naum.," are the two most firmly-cstaliiisbed hynonyrns; but the 

 latter only arose upon reference of Uirundo, Linn., to macrura, while, as i have shown, 

 the former has no basis at all. 



It is somewhat singular that the North Anxiiican range of so common 

 and well known a hix-cAch as this slioiild not Ik; better made out than it 

 is. A similar uncertainty respecting at least its winter vaui^i: sefitns U) 

 prevail in the matter of its European distribution. In this country it is 

 attributed to Brazil by J'elzeln, but this is the sole, extralimital record 

 I have found, except Dr. Bryant's Bahamari quotation. Messrs. H(;iater 

 and Salvin do not give it among Xeotropical Lari/Ja-. Tlie truth [irob- 

 ably is, that it does not proceed beyond the l/nited States, as a rule at 



